Nancy Wilson

Diva Nancy Wilson was among contemporary music's most stylish and sultry vocalists; while often crossing over into the pop and R&B markets -- and even hosting her own television variety program -- she remained best known as a jazz performer, renowned for her work alongside figures including Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing. Born February 20, 1937, in Chillicothe, OH, Wilson first attracted notice performing the club circuit in nearby Columbus; she quickly earned a growing reputation among jazz players and fans, and she was recording regularly by the late '50s, eventually signing to Capitol and issuing LPs including 1959's Like in Love and Nancy Wilson with Billy May's Orchestra. Her dates with Shearing, including 1960's The Swingin's Mutual, solidified her standing as a talent on the rise, and her subsequent work with Adderley -- arguably her finest recordings -- further cemented her growing fame and reputation.

In the years to follow, however, Wilson often moved away from jazz, much to the chagrin of purists; she made numerous albums, many of them properly categorized as pop and R&B outings, and toured extensively, appearing with everyone from Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughan to Ruth Brown and LaVern Baker. She even hosted her own Emmy-winning variety series for NBC, The Nancy Wilson Show, and was a frequent guest performer on other programs; hits of the period included "Tell Me the Truth," "How Glad I Am," "Peace of Mind," and "Now, I'm a Woman." Regardless of how far afield she traveled, Wilson always maintained her connections to the jazz world, and in the 1980s, she returned to the music with a vengeance, working closely with performers including Hank Jones, Art Farmer, Ramsey Lewis, and Benny Golson. By the 1990s, she was a favorite among the "new adult contemporary" market, her style ideally suited to the format's penchant for lush, romantic ballads; she also hosted the Jazz Profiles series on National Public Radio.

In the early 2000s, Wilson recorded two albums with Ramsey Lewis for Narada (2002's Meant to Be and 2003's Simple Pleasures). Her 2004 album R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) was a blend of straight-ahead jazz and ballads, similar to her next record, 2006's Turned to Blue, which, like R.S.V.P., used a different instrumentalist for each track. In 2005, Capitol released a three-part series to pay tribute to Wilson's contributions to music in the '50s and '60s: Guess Who I Saw Today: Nancy Wilson Sings Songs of Lost Love, Save Your Love for Me: Nancy Wilson Sings the Great Blues Ballads, and The Great American Songbook. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

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Silky Nancy....I've listened to her since I was about 12 years old....I'd had a love for jazz at an early age....and Nancy Wilson was and still is one of my favs,,,..there will never be anyone like her...If only I could sit and have a lovely chat with her right now..I would be blown away.....love this lady!

one of the greatest black female JAZZ singers in the world, I've seen her twice in my lifetime, she's up there in age now. My problem is, she never got radio time or the recogntion she deserves, I guess she'll have to pass before she gets all her FLOWERS.

This lady is the most gorgeous in the world! Happy birthday Ms. Diva!!!Had the distinct pleasure of seeing her in DC at Blues Alley a bit ago. She was mesmerizing! Thank you for your greatness and legendary voice Ms. Nancy. My parents introduced me to you in 1959. Love you!

Nancy Wilson & Redd Fox were the first show I legally saw (smile) as a 21 year old at the Southern Land hotel in Chicago, soo many years ago. I fell in love with her music then and she has made sure that that love has endured. I don't know how she does it but she gets better and better each time I hear her. Love you Nancy and so does my wife. Keeping going...